Steering apparatus for automobiles.



Patented J an. 3, 1911.

H. J. HERT.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1910.

FA/WM ll w w w kw 4m H W WMA/E5555.- M77? W 7m 7M HENRY J. HEBT, 'OFINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA'.`

STEERING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specincation ot Letters Patent.

Application filed ``January 6, 1910. Serial No. 536,618.

To all 'whom-'it may concern: v

Be it known that I, HENRY J. Hear, of' India-napolis, county of Marion,and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful SteeringApparatus for Automobiles; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to theaccompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to improve the construction ofsteeringapparatus for 'automobiles and the like.

The chief feature of the invention consists in providing on the steeringtube a pair of radially extending cams or cam disksdisposed at rightangles to the steering tube and'oppositely extending or staggeredinrelation 'to each other, and a rocking 'lever vertically disposed andsecured between its ends on a horizontal shaft with the ends of thelever in' position to be actuated' alternately by the .cams so that'thelever Will be rocked, and means operated by the shaft for steering theWheels of the vehicle.

Quite an important feature of the invention consists in lforming thepair of-cams integral with the steering tube or part connectedtherewith, that is, the cams and the part on. which they are secured areall integral and the peripheries of the cams are similarly beveled orformed so that both will at all times bearwith the full width of their'surfaces against the ends of the lever actu-` ated by them, or theanti-friction rollers on such lever. p p.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanyingdrawings and .the following description and claims.

In the dra ings Figure 1 is a central seotion through' the forwardportion of the chassis of an automobile. Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal section through the steering tube on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, withthe 'cam in an altered position.

In the drawings there is shown the part of the frame 10 of an automobileand a for- Ward wheel 11 on a'spindle 12 having an arm 13 extendingtherefrom to a cross bar 14 from which an arm 15 extends that isconnected by a ball and socketjoint 16 with the lower end of the arm lorcrank 17. f

On the cross bar 20 forming a part of the frame a casing 21`is secured.This casing has an upper bearing portion 22 and a lower bearing portion23'on a cap 24. which closes the lower end of the casing and isremovable.

The steering wheel 25 is secured on the tube 26 which is screwed into alower extension or eontinuation 27 of said tube.'

o Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

against the cap '24 of the casing which resists the downward thrust. Theupper part of the portion 27 fits in bearing 22 in the casing and apair' of cams 30 and 31 are integral with the portion 27 of the steeringtube and bear respectively against the= bearing portions 22 and 23, sothat the parts are snugly mounted.

The cams 30 and 31 extend transversely of the ste'ering tube and theirperipheries are eccentric to the steering tube and they are arranged instaggered position and in' substantially opposite relative positions.They are Spaced apart a few inches, one above the other, in position toengage the anti-friction rollers 32`on a vertically disposed lever 33secured between its ends and between the rollers 32 on a horizontalshaft 35. w The arrangement is such that as the steering tube isoscillated the cams will rock the lever 33.

The shaft 35, see Fig. 3, is mounted in a pair of movable boxes 36 inthe casing and set screws 37move said bearing boxes so as to snugly holdthe ends of the leve'r 33 against the caml disks 30v and 31. .One end ofthe shaft 35 extends outside' the casing and has secured upon it theupper 'end of the steering arm 17.

The steering shaft is tubular, which per- .mits the tubes or rods 40 and41 to extend down through the same and one within the other to a pointbelow the casing 21 of the cap 24- and at their lower ends carryrespectively the rods 46'and47 which lead to the ignition' and throttlemechanisms for controlling the same.

.The cams 30 and 31 have their faces so bevele'd transversely relativeto each other that during all 'the movements thereof the ends of thelever 33, or rather the rollers 32, will bear constantly a ainst bothcams and for the full width of t e periphery of each.

`Hen`ce the portions of the vsurfaces of said cams in the same planesmust be similarly beveled so that' at any portion of the periphery ofthe cams if a straight edge were laid lon the two cams transverselythereof, it would touch thesurface of both cams for the full widththereof, as indicated in Fig. 5 2. Hence this requires that theperiphery of each cam be formed as-indicated in Fig. 3.

These'cam surfaces are formed simultaneously by a vsingle instrument sothat at all points transversely they will be true with each other and atall times be able to bear against the ends of the lever 33. What I claimas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Steering apparatus for automobiles includin a steering tube, a pairof cam disks secure onsaid tubeand projecting transversely therefrom,asteering shaft mounted at a right an'gle to said steering tube and onaline midway between said cams, and. a rocking lever secured on saidshaft with the ends in eng-agement with said cams. I I' 2. Steeringapparatus for automobiles in- I cludin a Steering tube, a pair of camdisks secure on said tube and projecting transsecured on said tube andprojecting trans-- versely therefrom, a steering shaft mounted verseltherefrom, a steering shaft mounted at a right angle to said steeringtube and on a line midway between said cams, a rocklngl lever secured onsaid shaft with the ends in engagement with 'said cams, and means foradJustably forcing said shaft toward the steering tube for holding theends of said lever a ainst said cams.

4:. teering apparatus for automobiles including a steering tube, asteering shaft mounted at a right angle to said tube, a

Vrocking lever secured on said shaft substantially parallel with saidtube and with bearing portions on opposite sides of the shaft that varein alinement with each other, and a pair of cam disks secured on saidtube and projecting transversely therefrom one on each sideof said shaftin position for their peripheries to engage the bearing portions.

of said lever, said cams extendlng oppositely 'with relation to eachother and with their peripheries spirally disposed and formed in everyplane diametrically through the pair of cams so as to be in alinementwith each other for their full width and thus in all `positions bear fortheir full width against both bearing-surfaces on said lever.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses herein named.

HENRY J. I-IERT.`

Witnesses:

G. H. BoINK, O. M. MCLUGHLIN.

